My wife has just been granted ILRMon the 5 year route! Rob, your videos have been super helpful and been following you from the very beggining! Thanks for all the info :)
Where on the 3rd part now. Last 2 times was solister did it costing me 1000 for him. Rip off. Am going to do it myself this time. Just give me the basic. £2400 realy expensive but will try and do it now. Thers one more elts test thats what I think. You are very informative to me. Will keep looking at your pist. Hope your happy we have 2 kids very happy.
Hi... Definitely try and avoid the solicitors if you can, because they don't all do a good job, and they charge a lot of money for something you can u do yourself. And even with solicitors you still have to gather the mass of evidence 😔
Hi Mel and Rob Congratulations !!! I've been watching your videos, and it was very helpful the last time I had the same case with Mel to change my married name on my BRP card. And thanks for the video :) Just a few queries, Rob: do I need to scan the entire passport page? And what sort of document do I need to upload in life events? Thanks x
Also why are you clicking on "Get help with your online Home Office application" in your video should it not be Apply Online 5 or 2 year route, please clarify. Thanks
Details of your time spent outside the UK Where did you spend time outside the UK for more than 2 weeks? My question is ont to mention the four days of my trip.
I have over 200 documents from past in respect of past application. They make it very hard for truthful people to do the right thing when people are coming over the channel in rubber boat's what can I do zero.
Totally agree. We do immigration legally and it costs us a fortune. And they keep putting the prices up. Honest people pay. Yet the rubber boats keep arriving and they get put into a hotel room at the tax payers expense. 🥲
Hi Rob and Mel, we`re just about to do my wife`s ILR She`s been here with me in uk since August 2017. You said on you`re video you don`t have to pay the NHS surcharge? i just wondered why not, we are looking at £1560 and hopefully we can claim that back this time round as my wife works for NHS now.
Hi.... When you do the initial visa you have to pay the NHS charge and when you do leave to remain (for an extension) you have to pay the NHS surcharge again, but when you do ILR (indefinitely to remain ) there's no NHS surcharge to pay but the actual cost of the visa itself is £2404. (We didn't pay any NHS surcharge on the last one)... Unless changed it in the last few weeks.
@@poppypicanto Thank you for getting back to me much appriciated, that`ll be great if we don`t have to pay it, will let you know how we get on. Planning to submit everything on Thursday. Was going to fast track it as last time took 6 months.
Hi Rob and Mel, thanks for the informative video and all the best wishes, quick question, do you create a new account on UKVCAS once you pay the fee for ILR or can you use your old account on UKVCAS when we submitted the documents for further extension for 30 months ago. Please advise and confirm. Thanks
I thought this also. But in the end it was a new account creation, although it was still linked to the exact same email that I'd used for the previous visa. Very seemless done.
Hi Rob/Mel congratulations on submitting your application! My wife is from Thailand & has today passed the life in the uk test (5th attempt) & has been here for over 10 years so we want to apply for ILR 10yr route! My question is we haven't got the facility to scan & upload the associated documents so will they do this for you when you go for biometric appointment? Im sure they did this with leave to remain extension application? Thanks
Hi and thanks. Yes... I recall seeing that they offer this as an additional extra service that they provide. Basically taking all the paperwork to the appointment and they'll scan it for you. £50 I think... something like that. 👍 good luck. And good news for passing the life in the UK test because a lot of people struggle with that. 🙂
Just discovered today that my wife hasn't got the B1 English requirement so have booked rest which lasts 10mins & costs £150! 😟 Hopefully she passes but no guarantee & her spouse/partner visa runs out next Thursday & not sure I will get results in time! Not sure what to do & whether I can apply for ILR after current visa expires? Complete nightmare! Glad you got yours all sorted tho as have seen your later video! 👍
You should get provisional results of the test immediately. Then a certificate a week later. It's not cheap by any means Hope you get sort okay that's really tight on timing. Personally I would hit submit on the main application and at least pay the money!!!! before the visa runs out. . Ie.. at least get an application in process. Because you'll have a good few months potentially to upload all the documents into the vcas system ...which ' buys you time ' to obtain that B1. So even if she failed to b1 there would still be the opportunity to book in a second B1. I think the worst thing you could do is just let the visa expire and not have ILR in application. Good luck
We managed to get a quick English test in Cardiff, 3 hours from where we live! Just found out this morning my wife has passed even though she was convinced she had blown it! Only problem now is result is provisional & not confirmed until 4-7 days which takes us up to expiry date! Such a nightmare going through all this process! Very stressful, let alone the cost!
Hi Rob, very nice video, Thank you. I wanted to ask how many bank statements did you submit, also with regards to letters/ statements do we need to upload for all the 5 yrs or just the ones between the last BRP till the date we are making the application. Once again thanks.
Hi Rob&Mel, Just a question, on the document upload section of UKVCAS, How many years of papers do you need to show in terms of Residence in the UK or Life events ? What actually the life events section asks for as well? Many thanks :)
Generally they ask for the last 2.5 years from the point of application. Life events can be: dentist letters....GP letters....pensions letters....work letters....council letters... just day to day stuff that arrived thru the door. Even request letters to attend a eye test. I keep everything just incase.👍
Hi mate thanks for ur helpful videos, i just want to the email address for BRP people, actually i submitted an application to change my date of birth recently and i lost the email that contains a reference number to check what's going on with my request, its been more than 8 weeks, thanks
Hi there, very helpful video! I am applying for ILR on 5 years spouse visa route - how shall I get super-priority visa appointment, how to do it? And proving financial status statements and working HR letters has to be with in 28 days dated when I apply for visa?
Hi... Thanks for watching 🙏. With the super priority visa appointment I'm sure it's just an option within the visa fees and also vcas. So with vcas, you can either try and get a free appointment which will be weeks away.... Or ....pay for appointments that are literally within just a few days ( but come with a premium charge). Same with the actual home offoce speed of application. There should be an option somewhere for priority payment. With the evidence I think so long as everything is within the last six months is fine...so for example you apply in December but have a letter from HR dated in October / November. Don't worry too much about the date just so long as it's within the last six months. They have a degree of flexibility and realistic understanding. Best of luck .🙏❤️
@@poppypicanto Hi there! thank you for your reply, much appreciated! So I should be paying the application fees 2808 GBP for the application 1st, then It will redirect to VCAS portal to pay for the super priority right? is that correct?
No!!! The super priority option has limited availability and so usually will not appear on the payment page. I'm currently trying to get this processing option so have been logging on to my application every day at 11:55pm GMT in the hope that it will appear. This is what everyone else did who got super priority successfully. You MUST select and pay for this at the same stage as the standard visa fee (£2880) - once you have paid your visa fee and moved past that page, you will no longer have the option to select super priority service!@@PratheepaSundaram
Hi Rob (& Mel) Sounds like you are about 12-months ahead of my Wife's Visa journey... she arrived in the UK in September 2018, we married in January 2019. The biggest issue we face now is getting Referees for her British Citizenship application, after ILR in early 2024. Any tips???
Hi. To be honest I haven't even looked at the requirements for citizenship. I think I was just so glad to do ILR. Melissa's just mentioned it to me now that we need referees. ( hands on head screaming ) 😅😅 typical isn't it....there's always something else you never consider😂 I think we'll ask a friend who works in local government .... but a second is tricky one a might need some careful consideration. 😅
@@poppypicanto I used a friend who is a lawyer and a second friend who is a retired lawyer. The fact that he was retired means he did not qualify a "professional" witness. That did not matter as it is only the first witness that has to be a "professional", the second one can be anyone, I believe.
Hi Rob& Mel,I have to apply for ILR in September 2023,just have a quick question im self Employed so for financial evidence what documents i have to provide except than the bank statements?
Hi....I'm not entirely sure if I'm being honest for self-employed, but I would imagine possibly any form of annual self-assessment tax returns... and proof of registration with HMRC. Plus the bank statements. Anything that would firm up a positive outcome. I always look at it as ' make it hard for them to find a way to decline '👍
Hi Rob and Mel, thanks for the video! My husband and I are slightly confused as to when we actually need to apply. I first arrived in the UK on the 23/09/18 so it has now been 5 years. However, the letter says we need to apply 28 days before the visa expires, so do we go by the date on the last issued letter (meaning counting 30 months from the date of issue)? The actual brp expires on 29/12/23 which it’s just confusing. My last grant letter was issued on the 1/6/21.So from what I understand, counting 30 months from this date the visa expires on November 30th 2023? Should we then apply on the 3rd November? So sorry for the long question, we’re just confused. Many thanks!!!
Hi. Sorry for the delay I've only just seen the message.. We had this issue. When you came into the UK on 23.9.18 was that as a fiance ( to get married in the UK ) OR were you already married. Technically if you came into the UK already married. Then your 5 years actually starts from 23.09.18 technically meaning you are able to apply for ILR from September 23. If you arrived in the UK as a 'fiance then you would have come in just on an entry clearance visa ( with permission to get married) and that time is not counted. The five years starts when you get your first proper spouse visa. So to give clarity.. Mel's spouse visa started Jan 18... So technically she was able to do ILR from Jan 23. Even though her brp was still valid till August 23 which was months away!!!, they could not refuse us applying earlier as technically we had achieved five years. We then applied May 23, and no problem. Honestly.... I think that if you came into the UK in September 2018 already married then just put the application in now. The five years is done regardless of the BRP validity date. What causes the confusion is when they say apply 28 days before the visa expires. But on this occasion I think you're safe to ignore it like we did. 👍...it's up to you. ☺️
@@poppypicantohi, thanks so much for replying. We have now submitted the form and are currently uploading the supporting documents. I have another question, am I allowed to work whilst I wait on the decision? I can’t see why I wouldn’t. But how I can prove it to my employer? Congratulations on the visa! It was very quick, I hope mine won’t take long.
Thanks. Yes your fine to continue working whilst your waiting the visa application. Your national insurance number is still valid so nothing changes. Just once you've got your settlement through ( and new BRP card ) then pass this over to the HR department of your employer. 👍
Nothing this time thankfully in terms of photographs. Just things like council tax in dual name, and any other utilities you might have in both names. 🙏
We submitted an even spread of utility bills over the last two and a half years. Some were in joint names. Some were in the soul name of Melissa.👍 At least 15 utility bills.
I try to self upload but submit option is disappear and there’s a symbol like a danger symbol it say mandatory document left to upload but I uploaded everything
Sounds like something isn't uploaded in one of the mandatory document fields. Go through every single field one by one to make sure there's a physical file uploaded into everything. Even if you have to upload the same document twice I guess. 👍
Good morning. I came to uk on 05/2018 ( 5 years,8 months) spouse visa 5 years route, and when i applied for the second visa they answered me after 11 months so the expiry date in the brp is 06/2024. So my question is: Can i apply now for the ILR or i need to wait until 28 days before the date in the brp? Thank you so much
The minute you've been in the country for five years you can make the application for ILR/ settlement. You don't necessarily have to wait till the end date on your brp. We didn't. Our brp didn't expire to August 2024... But we made the application March 24. The decision came through really quick. Once you've legally been in the country for for 5 years they can't say no. Go for it and best of luck.👍🙏🙏🙏
Hi Rob and Mel, My husband has received his UK spouse visa and completed his CFO. Is there anything he needs to take to him to the airport? We have seen that an "affidavit of support" might be required, but we can only see it mentioned for the tourist visa. Can you confirm what was asked of you at immigration before flying to the UK? Many Thanks
The only thing that really sticks out to me is... If you're using your credit card to book a flight for him to come to the UK on his own then sometimes when people check-in they ask to see the credit card that was used to purchase the flight...( not always but sometimes ) so for that reason I went to Manila to pick Melissa up, just to be safe. I had heard horror stories of people being turned away at the departure gate very unhappy. You can get around that by passing a scan of your credit card to your husband which is a bit dodgy..but.a letter also signed by you; saying that you purchased the flight on your husband's behalf. Other than that...got the visa in the passport ✅ Cfo all done ✅ ...bios would have been done ( to get the visa )✅...... I think that's everything.
@@poppypicanto Thanks for the advice. It is honestly INSANE the requirements they must go through to leave their country. I will ask him to pay for the flight and ill transfer him the money in advance. Why would it make a difference who paid for the flight? lol
Totally agree. For some reason the Philippines have some really strict yet bizarre rules. I think there still really strict on COVID still, where as most other countries have relaxed everything ages back. With the buying of flights, they think that anything purchased by someone else is either stolen or fraud. I remember ringing the airline to check and they even admitted on the phone that often they don't even let someone check in 😯😯...utter madness. So many hurdles on the early stages. It's like a bureaucracy love tax 😂
@@poppypicanto Do you know if it would be OK for me to transfer the money for the flight to my husband, who pays for it on his debit card? That way, he could present the payment card at check-in if required? I really cant fly out to Manila to collect him at the moment and it should be something that is required lol
I would say if you can transfer the money easily then go for it. Good idea....as generally all the airline will care about is seeing the card that was used to purchase an airline ticket. It's super annoying and might never happen...but I didn't want to risk the chance of it becoming a problem at the check jn desk. Another example in the Philippines. Melissa couldn't access a concert...because the ticket was booked and paid for with my credit card. Melissa couldn't show the card...so they just assumed it was paid for with a stolen card. 😤 when i complained they asked for all sorts of stuff off me which I wasn't prepared to give them. Philippines is 1990s with credit cards.
Hi... I just checked my application we did ( as I saved a copy ) and there was no mention of leaving the uk going to Israel for a week. If I recall they specifically said not to record anything that was less than 14 days 👍
@@poppypicanto hi thank you for your help, really appreciate it. The question about since when have you been living together, is that in UK? My wife and I married overseas and we briefly stayed at her house overseas for couple of weeks but I came back to UK and applied for her first visa in 2018 so should I put 2018 date of when she moved to UK and we started living together
Very helpful video. thanks for unloading. I am also applying my ILR but I am stuck in declaration section. because I am the main applicant and I added my under 18 years child in my application. so I am confused to which one I need to tick? there are many options among them I am confused between 1: I am the applicant aged 18 or over 2: I am the applicant and I am also submitting the form on behalf of other applicants CAN YOU PLEASE SUGGEST ME.🙏🙏🙏
I would say the first one ...I am the applicant and over 18,.... as primarily you are the one filling in the form and you are the lead applicant . Your child is just an add-on to the lead applicant.👍 Best of luck.
Hello, they say on the government website that if you are married to a British person, you can apply for citizenship after 3 years. Is this true? Thank you.
I saw that to on the gov.uk website but left me somewhat utterly confused😅.....as when you look further into the current application process; its a five year process. Maybe more mis information from the glorious 🇬🇧 government 😅👍
Hello mate Thank you for your lovely video It's very helpful I got one question please: If i didn't work and my partner work and make more than £40000 it's oky to apply fo ilr without any problems? Thanks 🙏
Yes you should be fine so long as one of you earns more than the requireed amount. It doesn't really matter which person. This is 18,600 per year ....though there is plans to change this to 38,700 per year. 👍
Luv you and Mel ❤❤ !!! I am so grateful for your journey and videos🎉. It's almost traumatic the paperwork we've had to submit to get to the ILR application stage. You both deserve that holy grail !!! 🎉❤
Hi. I've never used a solicitor. The solicitor would just ask you the same questions you would need for the application but charge a middle man fee. It's really doable alone 👍
Hi guys. Thanks for this video. When I tried submitting my documents, it only allows for standard appointment. The priority or super priority is not showing. Please may someone guide.
It depends on which visa centre your trying to get an appointment with. Manchester only has premium or priority ones....and the free ones were really limited 😔...had to wait 4 weeks for a free one. Each centre seems to have its own rules 🧐
@poppypicanto thank you so much. So for anyone wanting priority or super priority for London, wait till 12- 1am and that's when the slots open. You normally can't find it during daytime...strange but works. Hope this helps someone on their journey 🙏
So apparently the London centres do offer priority service. For some reason their slots only open at 1am in the morning. I had seen this on one of the other videos and my hubby and I stayed awake one night and it worked. Apparently that's when they release Priority slots. All the best and I hope you get such a slot as it worked for us.
Hi there, I am applying for my ILR. at which point we should be getting the super-priority visa? Can you share me when to get that after paying for the application? could you tell me which stage this is happening? @@poppypicanto
Hi... indefinitely to remain for us was something like £2404. I think in total our journey we spent something like £ 10,000 or more on immigration charges
Hello Rob. Thank you so much for your video. Please id like to ask you i got married to british citizen and applied spouse visa 5 year route . So i was granted visa on 19 march 2019 and i arrived to UK on 6 april 2019. So now should i wait to 6 april 2024 to apply for indefinite leave to remain or can i apply 28 days earlier from 6 april 2024? Because on the goverment page it says you can apply before 28 days from when you are eligible 5 years. BTW my visa expires on july 2024 Thank you
Hi.... Sorry for the late reply whilst I catch up on a few things. So yes your five years is officially over on the 6th of April 2024. I would say that in this case you can ignore the expiry date of your current visa. Once you have completed five years they cannot decline. Personally I would hit submit on the 6th of April 2024. The 28-day rule is really confusing but generally that's for visas like extensions. The bottom line for you is you've completed your time on the 6th of April 2024 so they can't decline you. If you've not already done so then I would start the application now by filling all the pages of questions but just don't submit it ( until maybe the seventh of April 24) . You'll be fine. You've met the 5-year-rule 🙏✅ well done. .....🎈💞
![UK Spouse & Partner Visa Route to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) [2024 Guide]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7AheY9EEQtw/mqdefault.jpg)
The IHS is gone but fees for this form is now £2885. Plus have to pay biometric appointment fee. Zero savings even with out IHS!
My wife has just been granted ILRMon the 5 year route! Rob, your videos have been super helpful and been following you from the very beggining! Thanks for all the info :)
Thanks very much for watching ❤️ and the nice comment. I need to get motivated to post more videos....hopefully soon 😅. Best wishes 🙏 Rob and Mel
Ive done 6 extentions lol now passed life in uk. Final stage remains with citize ship thats another 5k needed
I will be applying for ILR set m next week hopefully things will be okay
Where on the 3rd part now. Last 2 times was solister did it costing me 1000 for him. Rip off. Am going to do it myself this time. Just give me the basic. £2400 realy expensive but will try and do it now. Thers one more elts test thats what I think. You are very informative to me. Will keep looking at your pist. Hope your happy we have 2 kids very happy.
Hi... Definitely try and avoid the solicitors if you can, because they don't all do a good job, and they charge a lot of money for something you can u do yourself. And even with solicitors you still have to gather the mass of evidence 😔
Hi Mel and Rob Congratulations !!!
I've been watching your videos, and it was very helpful the last time I had the same case with Mel to change my married name on my BRP card. And thanks for the video :)
Just a few queries, Rob: do I need to scan the entire passport page? And what sort of document do I need to upload in life events? Thanks x
Thank you....your very welcome. ❤️🙏
Congratulations
Also why are you clicking on "Get help with your online Home Office application" in your video should it not be Apply Online 5 or 2 year route, please clarify. Thanks
Details of your time spent outside the UK
Where did you spend time outside the UK for more than 2 weeks? My question is ont to mention the four days of my trip.
I have over 200 documents from past in respect of past application. They make it very hard for truthful people to do the right thing when people are coming over the channel in rubber boat's what can I do zero.
Totally agree. We do immigration legally and it costs us a fortune. And they keep putting the prices up. Honest people pay.
Yet the rubber boats keep arriving and they get put into a hotel room at the tax payers expense. 🥲
Hi Rob and Mel, we`re just about to do my wife`s ILR She`s been here with me in uk since August 2017. You said on you`re video you don`t have to pay the NHS surcharge? i just wondered why not, we are looking at £1560 and hopefully we can claim that back this time round as my wife works for NHS now.
Hi.... When you do the initial visa you have to pay the NHS charge and when you do leave to remain (for an extension) you have to pay the NHS surcharge again, but when you do ILR (indefinitely to remain ) there's no NHS surcharge to pay but the actual cost of the visa itself is £2404. (We didn't pay any NHS surcharge on the last one)... Unless changed it in the last few weeks.
@@poppypicanto Thank you for getting back to me much appriciated, that`ll be great if we don`t have to pay it, will let you know how we get on. Planning to submit everything on Thursday. Was going to fast track it as last time took 6 months.
Good 🤞 luck and fingers crossed for you both x
Hi Rob and Mel, thanks for the informative video and all the best wishes, quick question, do you create a new account on UKVCAS once you pay the fee for ILR or can you use your old account on UKVCAS when we submitted the documents for further extension for 30 months ago. Please advise and confirm. Thanks
I thought this also. But in the end it was a new account creation, although it was still linked to the exact same email that I'd used for the previous visa. Very seemless done.
Hi Rob/Mel congratulations on submitting your application! My wife is from Thailand & has today passed the life in the uk test (5th attempt) & has been here for over 10 years so we want to apply for ILR 10yr route! My question is we haven't got the facility to scan & upload the associated documents so will they do this for you when you go for biometric appointment? Im sure they did this with leave to remain extension application? Thanks
Hi and thanks.
Yes... I recall seeing that they offer this as an additional extra service that they provide. Basically taking all the paperwork to the appointment and they'll scan it for you. £50 I think... something like that. 👍 good luck. And good news for passing the life in the UK test because a lot of people struggle with that. 🙂
Just discovered today that my wife hasn't got the B1 English requirement so have booked rest which lasts 10mins & costs £150! 😟 Hopefully she passes but no guarantee & her spouse/partner visa runs out next Thursday & not sure I will get results in time! Not sure what to do & whether I can apply for ILR after current visa expires? Complete nightmare! Glad you got yours all sorted tho as have seen your later video! 👍
You should get provisional results of the test immediately. Then a certificate a week later.
It's not cheap by any means
Hope you get sort okay that's really tight on timing.
Personally I would hit submit on the main application and at least pay the money!!!! before the visa runs out. . Ie.. at least get an application in process.
Because you'll have a good few months potentially to upload all the documents into the vcas system ...which ' buys you time ' to obtain that B1. So even if she failed to b1 there would still be the opportunity to book in a second B1.
I think the worst thing you could do is just let the visa expire and not have ILR in application.
Good luck
We managed to get a quick English test in Cardiff, 3 hours from where we live! Just found out this morning my wife has passed even though she was convinced she had blown it! Only problem now is result is provisional & not confirmed until 4-7 days which takes us up to expiry date! Such a nightmare going through all this process! Very stressful, let alone the cost!
Hi Rob, very nice video, Thank you. I wanted to ask how many bank statements did you submit, also with regards to letters/ statements do we need to upload for all the 5 yrs or just the ones between the last BRP till the date we are making the application. Once again thanks.
Hi..thanks..
I did about 7 months bank statement. They ask for six months though.
I just did evidence for the last 2.5 years.
👍
Hi mate
Thanks for the videos
I am going to apply for indefinite leave to remain this month how i can get periority service ?
Please reply thanks
Hi Rob&Mel, Just a question, on the document upload section of UKVCAS, How many years of papers do you need to show in terms of Residence in the UK or Life events ? What actually the life events section asks for as well? Many thanks :)
Generally they ask for the last 2.5 years from the point of application. Life events can be: dentist letters....GP letters....pensions letters....work letters....council letters... just day to day stuff that arrived thru the door. Even request letters to attend a eye test. I keep everything just incase.👍
thanks a million , all the best @@poppypicanto
Hi mate thanks for ur helpful videos, i just want to the email address for BRP people, actually i submitted an application to change my date of birth recently and i lost the email that contains a reference number to check what's going on with my request, its been more than 8 weeks, thanks
Hi there, very helpful video!
I am applying for ILR on 5 years spouse visa route - how shall I get super-priority visa appointment, how to do it?
And proving financial status statements and working HR letters has to be with in 28 days dated when I apply for visa?
Hi... Thanks for watching 🙏. With the super priority visa appointment I'm sure it's just an option within the visa fees and also vcas. So with vcas, you can either try and get a free appointment which will be weeks away.... Or ....pay for appointments that are literally within just a few days ( but come with a premium charge). Same with the actual home offoce speed of application. There should be an option somewhere for priority payment.
With the evidence I think so long as everything is within the last six months is fine...so for example you apply in December but have a letter from HR dated in October / November. Don't worry too much about the date just so long as it's within the last six months. They have a degree of flexibility and realistic understanding. Best of luck .🙏❤️
@@poppypicanto Hi there! thank you for your reply, much appreciated!
So I should be paying the application fees 2808 GBP for the application 1st, then It will redirect to VCAS portal to pay for the super priority right? is that correct?
No!!! The super priority option has limited availability and so usually will not appear on the payment page. I'm currently trying to get this processing option so have been logging on to my application every day at 11:55pm GMT in the hope that it will appear. This is what everyone else did who got super priority successfully. You MUST select and pay for this at the same stage as the standard visa fee (£2880) - once you have paid your visa fee and moved past that page, you will no longer have the option to select super priority service!@@PratheepaSundaram
Hi Rob (& Mel) Sounds like you are about 12-months ahead of my Wife's Visa journey... she arrived in the UK in September 2018, we married in January 2019.
The biggest issue we face now is getting Referees for her British Citizenship application, after ILR in early 2024. Any tips???
Hi. To be honest I haven't even looked at the requirements for citizenship. I think I was just so glad to do ILR.
Melissa's just mentioned it to me now that we need referees. ( hands on head screaming ) 😅😅 typical isn't it....there's always something else you never consider😂
I think we'll ask a friend who works in local government .... but a second is tricky one a might need some careful consideration. 😅
@@poppypicanto I used a friend who is a lawyer and a second friend who is a retired lawyer. The fact that he was retired means he did not qualify a "professional" witness. That did not matter as it is only the first witness that has to be a "professional", the second one can be anyone, I believe.
Hi Rob& Mel,I have to apply for ILR in September 2023,just have a quick question im self Employed so for financial evidence what documents i have to provide except than the bank statements?
Hi....I'm not entirely sure if I'm being honest for self-employed, but I would imagine possibly any form of annual self-assessment tax returns... and proof of registration with HMRC. Plus the bank statements. Anything that would firm up a positive outcome. I always look at it as ' make it hard for them to find a way to decline '👍
Hi Rob and Mel, thanks for the video!
My husband and I are slightly confused as to when we actually need to apply. I first arrived in the UK on the 23/09/18 so it has now been 5 years.
However, the letter says we need to apply 28 days before the visa expires, so do we go by the date on the last issued letter (meaning counting 30 months from the date of issue)? The actual brp expires on 29/12/23 which it’s just confusing.
My last grant letter was issued on the 1/6/21.So from what I understand, counting 30 months from this date the visa expires on November 30th 2023? Should we then apply on the 3rd November?
So sorry for the long question, we’re just confused.
Many thanks!!!
Hi.
Sorry for the delay I've only just seen the message..
We had this issue.
When you came into the UK on 23.9.18 was that as a fiance ( to get married in the UK ) OR were you already married.
Technically if you came into the UK already married. Then your 5 years actually starts from 23.09.18 technically meaning you are able to apply for ILR from September 23.
If you arrived in the UK as a 'fiance then you would have come in just on an entry clearance visa ( with permission to get married) and that time is not counted. The five years starts when you get your first proper spouse visa.
So to give clarity.. Mel's spouse visa started Jan 18... So technically she was able to do ILR from Jan 23. Even though her brp was still valid till August 23 which was months away!!!, they could not refuse us applying earlier as technically we had achieved five years. We then applied May 23, and no problem.
Honestly.... I think that if you came into the UK in September 2018 already married then just put the application in now. The five years is done regardless of the BRP validity date.
What causes the confusion is when they say apply 28 days before the visa expires. But on this occasion I think you're safe to ignore it like we did. 👍...it's up to you. ☺️
@@poppypicantohi, thanks so much for replying. We have now submitted the form and are currently uploading the supporting documents. I have another question, am I allowed to work whilst I wait on the decision? I can’t see why I wouldn’t. But how I can prove it to my employer? Congratulations on the visa! It was very quick, I hope mine won’t take long.
Thanks. Yes your fine to continue working whilst your waiting the visa application. Your national insurance number is still valid so nothing changes. Just once you've got your settlement through ( and new BRP card ) then pass this over to the HR department of your employer. 👍
Thank you for video. Did you submit photos as evidence of relationship for ILR?
Nothing this time thankfully in terms of photographs. Just things like council tax in dual name, and any other utilities you might have in both names. 🙏
@@poppypicanto how many letters did you submit and what time interval?
We submitted an even spread of utility bills over the last two and a half years. Some were in joint names. Some were in the soul name of Melissa.👍 At least 15 utility bills.
@@poppypicanto so bills every 3 months?
I got ILR and my Netherlands paspoort , can I bring my spouse to England from Ghana????🇬🇭 I heard is an easy process …
Beyond my knowledge..sorry. If you think it's easy then best of luck. 👍
Hi , please can we have the ILR spouse requirement
Hi I just want to ask do they need lodger agreement please
I try to self upload but submit option is disappear and there’s a symbol like a danger symbol it say mandatory document left to upload but I uploaded everything
Sounds like something isn't uploaded in one of the mandatory document fields. Go through every single field one by one to make sure there's a physical file uploaded into everything. Even if you have to upload the same document twice I guess. 👍
Good morning.
I came to uk on 05/2018 ( 5 years,8 months) spouse visa 5 years route, and when i applied for the second visa they answered me after 11 months so the expiry date in the brp is 06/2024.
So my question is: Can i apply now for the ILR or i need to wait until 28 days before the date in the brp?
Thank you so much
The minute you've been in the country for five years you can make the application for ILR/ settlement. You don't necessarily have to wait till the end date on your brp. We didn't. Our brp didn't expire to August 2024... But we made the application March 24. The decision came through really quick. Once you've legally been in the country for for 5 years they can't say no. Go for it and best of luck.👍🙏🙏🙏
Hi Rob and Mel, My husband has received his UK spouse visa and completed his CFO. Is there anything he needs to take to him to the airport? We have seen that an "affidavit of support" might be required, but we can only see it mentioned for the tourist visa. Can you confirm what was asked of you at immigration before flying to the UK? Many Thanks
The only thing that really sticks out to me is... If you're using your credit card to book a flight for him to come to the UK on his own then sometimes when people check-in they ask to see the credit card that was used to purchase the flight...( not always but sometimes ) so for that reason I went to Manila to pick Melissa up, just to be safe.
I had heard horror stories of people being turned away at the departure gate very unhappy.
You can get around that by passing a scan of your credit card to your husband which is a bit dodgy..but.a letter also signed by you; saying that you purchased the flight on your husband's behalf.
Other than that...got the visa in the passport ✅ Cfo all done ✅ ...bios would have been done ( to get the visa )✅...... I think that's everything.
@@poppypicanto Thanks for the advice. It is honestly INSANE the requirements they must go through to leave their country. I will ask him to pay for the flight and ill transfer him the money in advance. Why would it make a difference who paid for the flight? lol
Totally agree. For some reason the Philippines have some really strict yet bizarre rules. I think there still really strict on COVID still, where as most other countries have relaxed everything ages back. With the buying of flights, they think that anything purchased by someone else is either stolen or fraud. I remember ringing the airline to check and they even admitted on the phone that often they don't even let someone check in 😯😯...utter madness.
So many hurdles on the early stages. It's like a bureaucracy love tax 😂
@@poppypicanto Do you know if it would be OK for me to transfer the money for the flight to my husband, who pays for it on his debit card? That way, he could present the payment card at check-in if required? I really cant fly out to Manila to collect him at the moment and it should be something that is required lol
I would say if you can transfer the money easily then go for it. Good idea....as generally all the airline will care about is seeing the card that was used to purchase an airline ticket. It's super annoying and might never happen...but I didn't want to risk the chance of it becoming a problem at the check jn desk.
Another example in the Philippines. Melissa couldn't access a concert...because the ticket was booked and paid for with my credit card. Melissa couldn't show the card...so they just assumed it was paid for with a stolen card. 😤 when i complained they asked for all sorts of stuff off me which I wasn't prepared to give them. Philippines is 1990s with credit cards.
On your ILR application did it only ask for details of trips out uk for more than 2 weeks. I thought it would details of all trips??
Hi... I just checked my application we did ( as I saved a copy ) and there was no mention of leaving the uk going to Israel for a week. If I recall they specifically said not to record anything that was less than 14 days 👍
@@poppypicanto hi thank you for your help, really appreciate it.
The question about since when have you been living together, is that in UK? My wife and I married overseas and we briefly stayed at her house overseas for couple of weeks but I came back to UK and applied for her first visa in 2018 so should I put 2018 date of when she moved to UK and we started living together
Very helpful video. thanks for unloading. I am also applying my ILR but I am stuck in declaration section. because I am the main applicant and I added my under 18 years child in my application. so I am confused to which one I need to tick? there are many options among them I am confused between
1: I am the applicant aged 18 or over
2: I am the applicant and I am also submitting the form on behalf of other applicants
CAN YOU PLEASE SUGGEST ME.🙏🙏🙏
I would say the first one ...I am the applicant and over 18,.... as primarily you are the one filling in the form and you are the lead applicant . Your child is just an add-on to the lead applicant.👍 Best of luck.
Hello, they say on the government website that if you are married to a British person, you can apply for citizenship after 3 years. Is this true? Thank you.
I saw that to on the gov.uk website but left me somewhat utterly confused😅.....as when you look further into the current application process; its a five year process. Maybe more mis information from the glorious 🇬🇧 government 😅👍
It’s true but only if you have ILR
@@gerardotv373 Does this mean that you can get the ilr before 3 years if you are married?
Hello mate
Thank you for your lovely video
It's very helpful
I got one question please:
If i didn't work and my partner work and make more than £40000 it's oky to apply fo ilr without any problems?
Thanks 🙏
Yes you should be fine so long as one of you earns more than the requireed amount. It doesn't really matter which person. This is 18,600 per year ....though there is plans to change this to 38,700 per year. 👍
Luv you and Mel ❤❤ !!! I am so grateful for your journey and videos🎉. It's almost traumatic the paperwork we've had to submit to get to the ILR application stage. You both deserve that holy grail !!! 🎉❤
Hi I’m applying for my wife irl I want to do it without a solicitor is that a wise choice ?
Hi. I've never used a solicitor. The solicitor would just ask you the same questions you would need for the application but charge a middle man fee. It's really doable alone 👍
Hi guys. Thanks for this video. When I tried submitting my documents, it only allows for standard appointment. The priority or super priority is not showing. Please may someone guide.
It depends on which visa centre your trying to get an appointment with. Manchester only has premium or priority ones....and the free ones were really limited 😔...had to wait 4 weeks for a free one. Each centre seems to have its own rules 🧐
@poppypicanto thank you so much. So for anyone wanting priority or super priority for London, wait till 12- 1am and that's when the slots open. You normally can't find it during daytime...strange but works. Hope this helps someone on their journey 🙏
@@tanaririrupani930is this work for you? I need to get priority service. Is that before you submit and pay? People say its available 1am sharp?
So apparently the London centres do offer priority service. For some reason their slots only open at 1am in the morning. I had seen this on one of the other videos and my hubby and I stayed awake one night and it worked. Apparently that's when they release Priority slots.
All the best and I hope you get such a slot as it worked for us.
Hi there, I am applying for my ILR. at which point we should be getting the super-priority visa?
Can you share me when to get that after paying for the application? could you tell me which stage this is happening? @@poppypicanto
Hi, how much does this one cost .. spent a lot like everyone else.
Hi... indefinitely to remain for us was something like £2404. I think in total our journey we spent something like £ 10,000 or more on immigration charges
Mind blowing.
Hello Rob. Thank you so much for your video. Please id like to ask you i got married to british citizen and applied spouse visa 5 year route . So i was granted visa on 19 march 2019 and i arrived to UK on 6 april 2019. So now should i wait to 6 april 2024 to apply for indefinite leave to remain or can i apply 28 days earlier from 6 april 2024? Because on the goverment page it says you can apply before 28 days from when you are eligible 5 years. BTW my visa expires on july 2024
Thank you
Hi.... Sorry for the late reply whilst I catch up on a few things. So yes your five years is officially over on the 6th of April 2024. I would say that in this case you can ignore the expiry date of your current visa. Once you have completed five years they cannot decline. Personally I would hit submit on the 6th of April 2024. The 28-day rule is really confusing but generally that's for visas like extensions. The bottom line for you is you've completed your time on the 6th of April 2024 so they can't decline you. If you've not already done so then I would start the application now by filling all the pages of questions but just don't submit it ( until maybe the seventh of April 24) . You'll be fine. You've met the 5-year-rule 🙏✅ well done. .....🎈💞
@@poppypicanto thank you!! Absolute right more secure to wait .